Hermanus Pt1. Penguins, Sharks & Whales.

OK. Have been out of touch for a few days, so here is what we have done since last posting.

Friday 31 July.
So we left Cape Town today and headed for Hermanus, but via Cape Point which was a slight detour but as we weren't able to do this yesterday due to going to Robben Island, we decided to forfeit an afternoon in Hermanus instead.

The weather today was lousy, rain, rain, and more rain. And misty. And cold. At times the rain was so heavy it was really quite difficult to see the road in front of us. The route was pretty enough though and we drove through lots of nice towns. We started on the Victoria Drive past the Twelve Apostles, not that we saw them through the fog, fortunately we did see them the other day from the jet boat before we were crudely ejected!

The road we really wanted to drive down was Chapman's Peak Drive but sadly it was closed due to the falling rocks. There is some controversy surrounding this as it is costing about a zillion Rand to make safe and the road doesn't actually go anywhere. it's just a nice drive. Some people think the money could be better spent. Anyway, we had to drive around it and we passed through a million towns all called Sunnyville, ot Sunny Town, or Sunny Bay. Sunny bloody everything except the weather! By the time we reached Cape Point it was still raining and the fog hadn't lifted so, even though it took about 3 hours to get here (after a few wrong turns!) we decided not to go into the National Park as a) we wouldn't see anything, b) too damn cold and wet!

A quick turn around and a drive up the coast saw the weather cheer up a little and by the time we arrived at Boulders Beach, the rain had eased off slightly and we got out to enjoy the penguins. Again we didn't want to go for the long hike in the weather so we decided to pay attention to the remaining stragglers that seemed to mooch about the carpark instead. We may not have see the main colony, but this old boy who we got chatting too in the car park showed us a secret path and we hopped over someone's fence and walked a short way where there was a group of penguins nesting and we really enjoyed spending some time here. Kieran got a great shot of me taking a photo of some penguins, and unbeknown to me, there was a cheeky one right underneath me and it reached up and was pecking on my camera strap which was hanging down. Kieran really loved the penguins and now wants one as a pet.

After Boulders Beach we made our way up through Simon's Town, Fishoek and Kalk Bay, we drove past the Cape Flats where thousands of people were displaced from district 6. This was quite an incredible sight, just thousands upon thousands of tin huts stretching as far as the eye can see.

Without doubt the best part of the drive was the road taking us into Hermanus. By now the sun was out and the mountains were striking against the now deep blue sky, and to our right miles the ocean which we followed for about 60kms or so. We all agreed that this was one of the most stunning roads we had ever travelled on and our feelings were confirmed when we caught sight of our first whale as we drove along. And not just a whale swimming along, one that breached which caused such excitement, I nearly drove us off the road and into the sea to join it.

We arrived at out campsite not too late and having set up camp, I realized that I had forgotten to buy charcoal and wood. It was just as well really as when we tried to drive out we well well and truly stuck in the mud. Had we discovered this in the morning at 5:30am when setting off for our shark dive, we would have been well in trouble. After about half an hour of trying to get out and digging ourselves deeper, and spraying the camp with mud, there was nothing for it. Dan got his first driving lesson. Between us, with Dan's skillful driving and my careful placing of an assortment of stones and branches, and some pushing, we finally drove out of the swamp we had created and set up camp on a dryer spot. By the time we got the BBQ and fire sorted it was dark, we couldn't see what we were eating, but we enjoyed it none the less.

Saturday 31 July

We had been give instructions by Eileen to meet at 6:45am. Eileen had informed us that we were about 15 minutes to the meeting place. My calculations of 8km from Hermanus, and 57km from Gaainsbaai meant that unless I drive at 260 km per hour it was going to take slightly longer and I concluded that Eileen didn't really know what she was talking about.

A group of 22 of us crammed into a little boat which was dominated by the large cage hanging off the back. It took about 20 minutes to get to Dyer Island then we started churning out chum 5 minutes further on. The sea was a little bumpy, but most people coped OK. Until we stopped. Now the boat just rolled from side to side. Kieran was amongst the first to be sick and I was doing OK until I tried to pull my wetsuit on, then up came my cornflakes too. Of course Dan was feeling fine. He really is a very good sailor and he wasn't fazed by even the most violent of rolls. The little sod!

I have to say full credit to Kieran and I was so proud of him. He was really poorly, as in violently sick, he was freezing cold, yet so determined was he too see the sharks, he still, through the vomiting put on a cold and damp wetsuit, which, when feeling well and warm is unpleasant enough, and lowered himself into the cage to be thrown around a cage of icy cold water so he could see the sharks. The 3 of us spent about 20 minutes looking at the sharks. Everytime a shark approached we had to duck under the water and we really saw these huge beasts up close as they swam past us in all their glory. some people reckon there were about 5 or 6 sharks in total. I know I saw 3 different ones, and I think we all appreciated these awesome creatures even though we had to contend with being thrown all over, the cold water and the sea sickness. I have to say that they didn't seem that scary at all and I do believe that they really do get bad press. OK, they eat the odd human now and then, but there are billions of us. There's not many of these things left and we are so lucky to have seen them in the wild and close up. (another box ticked!).

Heading back to shore everyone was seriously sick and I chundered several more times. In true Mullane fashion I let out a celabratory whoop with each deposit. "why can't he just be sick normally like everyone else" I heard some poor woman whine!

Kieran was now wrapped up in a blanket, fast asleep across my legs and Dan was wandering through the heaps of people, some lying still clutching their stomachs, others sat up with heads in hands, all looking green, and turning greener when Dan was asking where he could get something to eat. Even when we motored past the Seal Colony could no-one look up such was the gloom and doom of sea sickness and we were all grateful when we finally made it to dry land, where, making a very speedy recovery, Kieran asked if he could do it all again.

We spent the afternoon in Hermanus parked up in one of the whale watching view points and watched the assortment of whales below us in the bay. Hermanus really is gorgeous, and even has it's own whale cryer who lets out a different sound depending on the type of whale seen.

Hermanus was originally a fishing village and still retains vestiges of it's inheritence. The town is cocooned in rocky hills with craggy peaks and when not admiring the scenery or looking at the whales its just nice to chill out and relax, take it all in with a book, and occasionally look up to see Kieran climbing on the rocks, trying to tempt the rock dassies out of their hiding places, and listen to Dan play his guitar in the background.

The camp site we are staying at is OK'ish. The boys have made some friends and Kieran has befriended a stray dog which follows him everywhere. Even to the toilet. He sits and watches us as we eat our dinner round the camp fire in the evenings and he guards the campervan at night whilst we sleep inside it. I have drawn the line at him coming into the campervan, and it was an emphatic NO, when asked if we can take him with us.